Acropolitissa, wife of Michael of Trebizond

Acropolitissa was the wife of Michael of Trebizond [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/TREBIZOND.htm#IoannesIITrebizondB. Profile of John II of Trebizond and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] .

Family

Her father was Constantine Acropolites [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/TREBIZOND.htm#IoannesIITrebizondB. Profile of John II of Trebizond and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] . According to his entry in "Porphyrogenita:Essays on the History and Literature of Byzantium and the Latin East" (2003) Constantine was married to Maria Komnene Tornikina. Constantine was a scholar in the courts of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Andronikos II Palaiologos in Constantinople. He was granted the title Megas Logothetes in 1294, succeeding Theodore Mouzalon. [ [http://www.jstor.org/pss/1291235 Donald M. Nicol, "Constantine Akropolites" (1965)] ] . [ "Porphyrogenita:Essays on the History and Literature of Byzantium and the Latin East" (2003), entry "Constantine Acroplites" by M. Kalatzi, page 389] .

Constantine was the eldest son of George Acropolites and his wife Eudokia. [ "Porphyrogenita:Essays on the History and Literature of Byzantium and the Latin East" (2003), entry "Constantine Acroplites" by M. Kalatzi, page 389] . Her maternal gradfather was John Tornikes, sevastokrator. [ [http://www1.ku-eichstaett.de/KTF/KiGe/t_doku.htm "Prosopographische Frauenliste des christlichen Ostens", entry: "Tornikina, Maria Komnēnē Akropolitissa"] ] .

John Tornikes is considered a probable son of Demetrios Tornikes, an important noble in the court of John III Doukas Vatatzes. The chronicle of George Acropolites mentions Demetrios having married an unnamed relative of Michael VIII, possibly a member of the Palaiologos family. Assuming the theory is correct, the siblings of John would include: (1)Constantine Tornikes, who shared the duties of Great Primicerius with Alexios Strategopoulos. Constantine fell out of favor and removed from position by Theodore II Laskaris. His daughter Tornikaina was a mistress and probably second wife of John Doukas Palaiologos. Their illegitimate daughter Theodora married David VI of Georgia. (2)Andronikos Tornikes. (3) Tornikina, wife of Theodore Petraliphas. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTINE%20NOBILITY.htm#DemetriosTornikiosdied1252 Profile of Demetrios Tornikes and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] .

Marriage

According to "Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era" by William Miller, Acropolitissa married Michael of Trebizond. He was a younger son of John II of Trebizond and Eudokia Palaiologina. John II died in 1297 and Eudokia returned to the court of her brother Andronikos II in Constantinople. Michael apparently followed his mother and did not return to Trebizond until 1341, forty-four years later. Their marriage probably took place during his lengthy stay in Constantinople. Their only known son was John III of Trebizond.

In 1341, the throne of Trebizond was held by Irene Palaiologina, widow of his nephew Basil of Trebizond. The Scholarioi faction, led by Niketas and Gregory, decided to invite Michael to claim the throne instead. The regency of the underage John V Palaiologos of the Byzantine Empire, at the time headed by Anna of Savoy and John Kantakouzenos, decided to dispatch Michael and three ships towards Trebizond. Miller claimed that Michael was intended as a new consort of Irene. Whether this means he was already widowed is uncertain.

On 30 July, 1341, Michael and his ships reached Trebizond to find Irene already deposed. She had been replaced by Anna of Trebizond, sister of Basil, sister-in-law of Irene and niece to Michael. As the legitimate male descendant of the ruling family, Michael received the support of much of the populace and was acclaimed emperor. Some of the nobility, led by the Metropolitan Akakios received him as their lord and escorted him into the palace. As soon as night fell, however, the nobles imprisoned Michael, not wishing to be ruled by a mature and forceful monarch. Anna's Lazic troops dispersed Michael's supporters and plundered his ships. The following day he was sent off to Oinaion and then Limnia, where he was held captive by the Grand Duke John the Eunuch. His first reign had only lasted a day.

On 4 September, 1342, John III managed to depose his cousin Anna and claimed the throne for himself. Michael remained a prisoner of John the Eunuch. John III turned out to be a weak and dissolute ruler, who cared only for entertainment, self-indulgence, and luxury. In 1344, the Eunuch was assassinated. Niketas of the Scholarioi marched to Limnia and released Michael. They headed to Trebizond.

On 3 May, 1344, John III was deposed and Michael restored to the throne. John III was exiled to a monastery. Michael granted Niketas the title of Grand Duke (megas doux) and was forced to sign the document which gave Niketas and his ministers almost all power in the Empire, promising to seek their counsel in all official actions. This constitutional experiment was short-lived, because the greatest opposition came from the people of Trebizond. They were infuriated to see the Emperor stripped of his effective authority and rose up in revolt against the oligarchy of the Scholarioi. Michael swiftly took advantage of the opportunity, and arrested and imprisoned Niketas in 1345.

However the subsequent reign of Michael would proove troubled. Two invasions by Turkmen and one by the Republic of Genoa resulted in territorial losses and consequent decline of Trebizond's role in the Black Sea trade. Thec Black Death reached Trebizond in 1347 and caused further panicked reactions by the populace. Discredited for failing to govern the crumbling Empire, Michael was deposed on 13 December, 1349. He was replaced by a grandnephew, Alexios III of Trebizond. Michael would unsucessfully reclaim the throne in 1355.

Whether Acropolitissa was alive during the reign of Michael is uncertain. She would probably have remained in Constantinople for its entire duration.

Possible descendants

The "Georgian Chronicle" of the 18th century reports George V of Georgia marrying a daughter of "the Greek Emperor, Lord Michael Komnenos". However the reigning dynasty of the Byzantine Empire in the 14th century were the Palaiologoi, not the Komnenoi. The marriage of a daughter of Michael IX Palaiologos and his wife Rita of Armenia to a Georgian ruler is not recorded in Byzantine sources. Neither is the existence of any illegitimate daughters of Michael IX. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/GEORGIA.htm#GiorgiVdied1346B Profile of George V in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] Whether this was a daughter of Michael Komnenos of Trebizond and Acropolitissa is unknown. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/TREBIZOND.htm#IoannesIITrebizondB Profile of John III and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ]

References

External links

* [http://books.google.gr/books?id=Xrbg8_8lrzoC&pg=PA390&lpg=PA390&dq=Konstantinos+Akropolites&source=web&ots=nfYPmXrVk-&sig=nW5BSOsOLh_OTzoyrfpeFMx6Uwg&hl=el&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA389,M1 - Entry of her father in "Porphyrogenita"]